The invention relates generally to compaction machines, such as those used to compact landfills and, more particularly, to a compactor wheel on such a compaction machine including a plurality of cleats thereon, with the cleats having a two-piece construction that includes a base and a replaceable cap.
Compaction machines are used to compact landfill sites, garbage dumps and other such locations. These machines typically include a self-propelled vehicle having four large compactor wheels made of steel. Each compactor wheel has a hub mounted to one end of an axle and a rim disposed around and radially out from the hub. The rim typically includes an outer wrapper on which a plurality of cleats or teeth is usually mounted. The design of conventional compactor wheels, and in particular the compactor wheel cleats, varies widely. In general, the cleats are designed to compress (i.e., compact) the waste by concentrating the weight of the compaction machine on the relatively small area of the cleats. The cleats also function to break apart waste by imparting breaking forces thereon.
Over time, compactor wheel cleats wear down and become less efficient in compressing and breaking apart waste. Thus, some compactor wheel cleats have a two-part design that includes a base and a replaceable cap. The base is typically welded to the outer wrapper of the rim, and thus a metallurgical composition of the base is such as to facilitate welding to the outer wrapper. Desirably, the metallurgical composition of the replaceable cap is different from the base, with the replaceable cap being formed of a substantially harder material (e.g., steel) that resists abrasion and prolongs the life of the cap.
It is recognized, that the material(s) from which the replaceable cap is formed is not conducive to welding and, for this reason, a mechanical connection is often implemented to affix the replaceable cap to the base. For example, a pin and coil spring member connection or a bolt and clip connection might be implemented to affix the replaceable cap to the base. However, there are drawbacks associated with the use of mechanical connections to secure the replaceable cap to the base, including: cost, longevity of the mechanical connection (which may be less than the life of the replaceable cap), and the ease of adding/removing the mechanical connection to and from the replaceable cap when replacing the cap.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method for providing a compactor wheel cleat that allows for efficient adding and removal of a cleat cap to a cleat base when replacement is required. It would further be desirable for such a cleat to exhibit increased longevity and low cost.